Don Imus: I Ain't Forgivin' and Forgettin' - The Dec 3rd
‘Moment of Silence'
by Min. Paul
Scott
This article originally appeared on Min. Scott's
site NoWarningShotsFired.com.
"From 6AM to 10AM turn off all stations and programs
owned by Citadel Broadcasting and ABC Radio Networks."
Some dude named Alexander Pope once said
"to err is human but to forgive, divine."
Whatever, homie. I bet ol' Alex was the kid who
got his lunch money taken everyday at school.
For the record, I vehemently oppose Don Imus's
December 3 return to radio. Just because one Civil Rights leader may have given
Imus his blessing does not mean that he's getting a pass from the other
38,699,999 black folks in this country.
After all the ruckus that jumped off last April,
I suppose that we are just gonna let him waltz in and sit his racist behind in
that big cushy chair behind the microphone... (Scratch that)
In order to lure Imus to WABC, along with the
mega bucks they are paying him, they probably had to throw in a golden throne.
And we're just to suppose to accept that without
a mumblin' word?
Seems like folks think that after a nine month,
20 million dollar paid vacation courtesy of his old employer, CBS, Imus has
somehow paid his debt to society for the "nappy headed ho" comment,
last April. Yeah, I know that Imus was real apologetic and even submitted to an
hour long interrogation on Rev. Al Sharpton's radio show. Seems like he's done
everything but hire a black gospel choir, go on a nationwide tour of black mega
churches and sing "Swing Low, Sweet Chariot."
Now, I know that some of ya'll are thinking how noble it
is that he is using his big comeback to raise money for a children's charity.
Well drug dealin' Tyrone gave out free turkey's last Thanksgiving, does that
excuse his behavior?
"Seems like Imus has done everything but hire a black
gospel choir."
These people don't think that black folks know
the difference between genuine goodwill and a cheap public relations trick.
To these PR people, the black community is an
easy sell. After all, we have let marketing firms convince us that sneakers
that cost ten dollars to make are worth $200. And that thousand dollar gold
teeth and spinnin' wheels on a 1988 Honda, somehow make you a better human
being.
I can see Imus's handlers back during the days
of slavery, squashing a slave rebellion:
"Don, babe...Just give them an extra
chicken wing and a slice of watermelon. Trust me. I know these people..."
We must not forget that the conversation on race
in the aftermath of the Imus fiasco which should have been about white male
bigotry and the disrespect of black women quickly turned into a conversation
about Hip Hop, the "N" word and saggin' pants.
So, if the NAACP and the other Civil Rights
groups that buried the "N" word last July don't fight tooth and nail
against the Imus comeback, they should go to the grave yard, dig up Mr.
"N" word and give him a public apology. And if the black bloggers
don't speak out, they need to nominate BET's highly internet protested show
"Hot
Ghetto Mess" for an Emmy Award and send host Charlie Murphy a thank
you note.
Fair is Fair. But then again, when was the race
issue ever fair?
Is it fair that although many people are
bringing up the "Freedom of Speech" issue, many black entertainers
have been persecuted for much less? I don't remember rappers such as Sister
Souljah and Professor Griff being rewarded with million dollar record deals
after they made comments that some folks found offensive. Nor do I
remember any support groups being formed for the then "King of Pop,"
Michael Jackson, when he was forced to remove "They Don't Care About
Us" from his 1995 HIStory CD. As the old saying goes, when it happens to
someone else, it's a comedy but when it happens to you, it's a tragedy.
"I don't remember rappers such as Sister Souljah and
Professor Griff being rewarded with million dollar record deals after they made
comments that some folks found offensive."
So should WABC and its parent company be held
accountable for hiring Don Imus when he should still be in exile on his ranch
in New Mexico? You're darn right!
WABC hiring Imus is like a renegade employee
crossing the picket line when you have been protesting out in the cold and rain
for two weeks. Unless, you whop the traitor upside the head with a picket sign,
you can rest assured that there will be a long line of scabs coming behind him.
So we must stand our ground.
On December 3rd we need to have a 4 hour
"moment of silence" from 6AM to 10AM and turn off all stations and
programs owned by Citadel Broadcasting and ABC Radio Networks. While this company is mostly known for
conservative talk shows, it also depends on African American audiences to
support its "multi-cultural" programming.
Sometimes it takes great sacrifices to make
change. Sometimes it takes a large 10,000-man demonstration to make a point.
Sometimes you have to get on a bus and travel 12 hours to a protest. But
sometimes you can make a change by doing something as simple as turning off
your radio.
Min. Paul Scott's blog is http://www.nowarningshotsfired.com/
He can be reached at (919) 451-8283, or at info@nowarningshotsfired.com.
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